With the arrival this week of Vernon Eugene Stewart, the population of sexually violent predators (SVPs) on the Westside has doubled. Stewart, 64, who has twice been convicted of sex
crimes against minors, is the new roommate of the other SVP, Rashaun Demetrius Faulcon, who was released from jail in mid-April.
The two parolees will be sharing apartment 6 at of the complex at 3341 W. Colorado Ave.
Kathryn Sanguinnetti, public information officer for the Colorado Department of Corrections, said neither offender knew the other before, and “there is some research
that “the two together will hold each other accountable.” However, she added, “Truly, we're putting them together because the landlord was willing to rent and he
didn't have a vacant apartment available.”
Both men are wearing GPS tracking monitors and must abide by a lengthy list of restrictions, according to state and county authorities. They also share the same
parole officer, which should help in their supervision, she said.
Stewart is caucasian, 64 years of age, 6 feet, 210 pounds, with grey hair, and green eyes. Stewart, 22, is African-American, 6-foot-1, 155 pounds, with black hair
and brown eyes.
Stewart was convicted in October 2004 of child molestation and rape of a child in Washington, after which he was sentenced to 20 months in jail. In July 2005, in El
Paso County, he was found guilty of attempted sexual assault on a child from March 1999 to July 2003. That earned him a three-year sentence. However, because
the judge included time already served (246 days prior to his sentencing), he was eligible for release June 1 of this year, explained Lt. Cliff Northam of the El Paso
County Sheriff's Office.
Stewart's parole conditions are the same as those for Faulcon, except for the latter's restriction about gang fraternization (be-cause Stewart reportedly has no gang
affiliations). The other conditions are no contact with minors; no weapons; no going to bars; no pornography; no driving a vehicle (although he could earn the right to
own one through consistent good behavior); participation in sex offender and drug/alcohol treatment programs; holding a job; payment of restitution; taking random
polygraph tests; not spending the night anywhere but his residence; and accommodating random visits from law enforcement officials;
SVP is a rare label, applied by authorities to only about 1 of every 330 of the state's registered sexual offenders.
There is no legal limit to how many SVPs can live in a given area, Sanguinetti said. She added that it is “hard to find landlords willing to take them (SVPs).” If a place
had not been found, “Stewart was going to parole out homeless, and we didn't want that to happen with an SVP.”
“Sheriff Maketa takes Stewart's presence in our community very seriously,” Northam said. “He is intent on ensuring Mr. Stewart conducts himself in a lawful manner
and that our citizens remain safe and aware.”
Two community meetings were held in late May to answer citizens' questions about Stewart. For any follow-up information, including photos of either SVP, call
Dawn Capps of the Sheriff's Sex Offender Registration office at 520-7333.